J.D. MATONTI is NEW-GEN’s ® founder, creator, and director. He conceived the NEW-GEN ® universe and created the characters, creatures and robots that inhabit it. J.D. is the editor and writer of the six-issue comic series NEW-GEN, as well as the five-issue series NEW-GEN: NEW DAWN, which is distributed by Marvel. The NEW-GEN comic series is a prequel story to the upcoming NEW-GEN ® live action feature film. J.D. has directed several music videos for top recording artists and he also directed and produced the feature film “Lethal Justice” and executive produced several live action independent films.

Chris Matonti, founder and producer of the NEW-GEN ® franchise is an experienced and recognized filmmaker. Chris has a multi-faceted background in the entertainment industry and has produced several independent films and raised financing for them. Chris produced the critically acclaimed documentary “Money Driven Medicine” (www.moneydrivenmedicine.org) with Oscar winner Alex Gibney (“Taxi To The Dark Side”). Chris is responsible for oversight of the company’s budget, strategic business development and spearheads the capital raise of A.P.N.G. Enterprises, Inc.

Julia Coppola is a creator, executive producer and NEW-GEN founder. Ms. Coppola has served as a financing partner and executive producer on various films. Ms. Coppola executive produced the documentary “Money Driven Medicine,” which screened across the country, including a special screening for members of Congress at the U.S. Capitol.  Ms. Coppola has edited the NEW-GEN comic book series I through VI. Julia created, produced, and edited the NEW-GEN story bible along with Jeff Gomez and the Starlight Runner team. Julia serves as editor on the ongoing NEW-GEN comic series.

Mark Hamill is the celebrated actor who had the legendary leading role of Luke Skywalker in “Star Wars,”
“The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi.” Hamill serves as Creative Consultant for the NEW-GEN Franchise and will play an undisclosed role in the live action film.

“Watching NEW-GEN evolve from a fascinating idea into a fully-realized, beautifully rendered comic book universe has been a real thrill for me. Fans of science-fiction/fantasy owe it to themselves to give NEW-GEN some serious attention!” said Mark Hamill.

“Luke Skywalker Returns in NEW-GEN” to “the most epic project Mark Hamill will have undertaken since “Return of the Jedi” are recent quotes and headlines from press coverage worldwide as fans and industry anticipate the NEW-GEN live action feature film.

Jeff Gomez and his team have produced the Story Bible for NEW-GEN.  Gomez is the world’s leading producer of transmedia entertainment properties. He is an expert at incubating new entertainment franchises, strategic planning and production for cross-platform implementation. As CEO of Starlight Runner Entertainment, a New York-based digital production company, Jeff transforms intellectual properties into global franchises that successfully leverage an array of media channels and mass audience touchpoints. Jeff has worked on such blockbuster universes as Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean”, “Tron Legacy” and “Fairies”, Microsoft’s “Halo”, James Cameron’s “Avatar”, Hasbro’s “Transformers”, Mattel’s “Hot Wheels” and Coca-Cola’s “Happiness Factory”. Jeff is a board member of the Producers Guild of America East, and sits on the advisory board of the PGA New Media Council. Jeff and Starlight Runner have recently been featured in Forbes, BusinessWeek, Variety, Publishers Weekly and The Wall Street Journal. http://www.starlightrunner.com

Mace Neufeld has come aboard as executive producer to build NEW-GEN into a feature film franchise. Mace Neufeld is one of the most prolific and successful producers in Hollywood with his films grossing over one billion dollars worldwide. His keen eye for talent and his ability to turn published works into box office hits has helped to launch the careers of such stars as Kevin Costner and Alec Baldwin, as well as directors Richard Donner, Roger Donaldson, Phillip Noyce and John McTiernan.  Neufeld optioned the rights to Tom Clancy’s bestselling book, “The Hunt for Red October” and began producing what would become the first hit in one of the most popular film franchises in history. He has also produced films including “Invictus,” “The Sum of All Fears,” “The General’s Daughter,” “The Saint,” “Clear and Present Danger,” “Beverly Hills Cop III; Flight of the Intruder,” “The Frisco Kid” and others.

David Tattersall has come aboard as the director of photography/cinematographer. Tattersall has previously worked on such visually stunning films as “Star Wars: Episodes I, II, and III,” “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” “Die Another Day,” “Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life” and “Con Air.”

Jeffrey A. Okun joins on as visual effects supervisor and is currently chair of Visual Effects Society. Okun has supervised high-profile visual effects-heavy feature films for over 30 years, including “Clash of the Titans,” “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” “Blood Diamond,” “The Last Samurai,” “Red Planet,” “Deep Blue Sea” and “Sphere.”

Oliver Scholl joins the live action NEW-GEN feature film as production designer. Scholl is one of the industry’s leading production designers with such blockbuster credits as “Jumper,” “Time Machine,” “A.I. Artificial Intelligence,” “Godzilla,” “Independence Day” and “Stargate.” For more on Scholl’s work, visit his website: http://www.oliverscholl.com/portfolio/Selects.html

Christopher Young joins NEW-GEN as composer. His previous work includes “Spider-Man 3,” “Ghost Rider; The Grudge I, II, III,” “The Exorcism of Emily Rose,” “Wonder Boys,” “The Hurricane,” “Copycat,” “Entrapment” and “Drag Me to Hell.”